Instagram lawsuits have been filed by people who developed eating disorders after being heavily influenced by toxic content on social media.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Instagram induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, or another type of eating disorder that was caused by Instagram, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Social Media Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Dangers of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are serious conditions that can negatively impact physical and mental health. These harmful eating behaviors can make it difficult to function and eventually lead to permanent health problems, nutritional deficiencies, self-harming behavior, or death.
What is the Problem?
A growing number of lawsuits have been filed against social media companies by people who developed eating disorders, depression, suicidal behaviors, and other life-threatening mental health issues.
Social media algorithms are designed to keep us glued to our screens. The more you “like” or interact with certain content — for example, super-skinny models with eating disorders — the algorithm is designed to send you more and more of this type of content.
Not surprisingly, many users (but particularly children and teenagers) can easily become obsessed with scrolling through this type of content. They can develop unreasonable expectations about body image, anxiety about their weight, or obsess about fitness and food.
Instagram Eating Disorder Lawsuit Filed in California
In June 2022, an Instagram eating disorder lawsuit was filed against Meta Inc., the parent company of Instagram, by the parents of an 11-year-old girl who developed anorexia and mental health issues.
The lawsuit alleges that Instagram is designed to encourage social media addiction among teenagers and pre-teen users. Furthermore, lawyers allege that Instagram algorithms regularly deliver harmful content to vulnerable young users.
Lawyers cite the “Facebook Papers,” a set of documents what were leaked to lawmakers in late 2021 by a former Facebook employee named Frances Haugen. The documents show that Facebook executives knew that Instagram was harmful to young users, calling pre-teens “herd animals” who “want to find communities where they can fit in.”
“Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse,” according to a survey from March 2020 that was leaked in the Facebook Papers.
The plaintiff, Alexis S., claims she opened her first Instagram account when she was just 11 years old. Over time, she developed an eating disorder after Instagram’s algorithm repeatedly showed her underweight models and content that promoted eating disorders.
As a result of her addiction to Instagram, she developed eating disorders, anxiety, depression, self-harm, and had suicidal thoughts.
Her lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court Northern District of California — Case number 3:22-cv-03294.
Common Types of Eating Disorders
- Anorexia nervosa: This is the most common and well-known eating disorder. People with anorexia may stop eating food until they develop serious nutritional problems or starvation. Anorexia is particularly harmful for teenagers who are still growing quickly. Even when they are dangerously underweight, they may think they are overweight.
- Bulimia nervosa: Another well-known eating disorder. Bulimia involves throwing up food, sometimes after binge eating.
- Binge eating disorder: This eating disorder involves an uncontrollable urge to eat food, often until it hurts. The person may not feel able to stop eating until they are physically unable to do so.
- Pica: Eating things that are not food, such as clay, dirt, chalk, rocks, hair, wool, etc.
- Avoidant / restrictive food intake: This is an eating disorder in which a person only eats certain types of food. The person’s preferred foods may become progressively more limited (“picky eating” that gets much worse).
- Orthorexia (obsessive focus on healthy eating): This is a newly-recognized type of eating disorder that has been heavily influenced by social media. A person with this disorder may be obsessed with only eating foods that are deemed “healthy” or “clean.” They may compulsively check ingredient lists, nutritional labels, and obsessively follow “healthy lifestyle” social media influencers. A person with orthorexia may also be obsessed with “detox diets” or “cleanses” because they believe that certain foods are dangerous.
Do I have an Instagram Eating Disorder Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Instagram induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, or another type of eating disorder that was caused by Instagram, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Social Media Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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